BANJALUKA – A large number of tourists who visited Banja Luka during the New Year’s holidays left disappointed due to the low level of public hygiene, poor performance of winter services and air pollution that is dangerous for health for days.
In the Association of Organizers of Games of Chance in the Republic of Srpska (UPIS RS), they say that a large number of tourists, mainly from Croatia and Slovenia, complained about the state of the city, and that many regretted spending their time and money there.
„The streets, especially the sidewalks, were not cleaned, and no one emptied the containers full of garbage for days, so mini-dumps were created around them. The bravest ones, who somehow made their way through the snow, ice and dirt, suffocated in the smog and stench from the air“, they say.
According to them, everything looked like the apocalypse.
According to their assessment, the city welcomed the guests completely unprepared and reacted violently.
They remind that everything was preceded by a conflict between the republican and city authorities, because of which many tourists decided to bypass Banjaluka in a wide arc.
„People watched through the media how the mayor blocked parking lots and turned off the lights, organized protests. A lot of them didn’t want to go to that circus because they weren’t sure that they would have a place to park their car or that someone wouldn’t intercept them in the dark and rob them, so they spent their money somewhere else“, say the Association of Organizers of Games of Chance in the Republic of Srpska.
They say that tourism is a promising branch of the economy, but, they add, it is very sensitive to any changes and instability.
By the way, the data show that on New Year’s Eve, the air in Banja Luka was one of the most polluted not only in BiH and Europe, but also in the whole world.
According to the quality index, in the last few weeks it is generally very unhealthy, while in certain periods it is dangerous for human health.
Regarding garbage collection, the authorities have not announced anything so far. Apart from flimsy excuses that the containers cannot be approached due to heavy snow, the citizens did not receive a rational answer.
The mayor of Banjaluka, Draško Stanivuković, visited the city’s “Čistoća” in November last year and assured the citizens that everything is ready for the winter season.
He claimed that there was enough machinery and salt to sprinkle the streets, and that over a million marks had been provided for this purpose.
However, with the first rainfall it turned out that this was not true, and that the contractors were absolutely unprepared for several days of rainfall.
The Association of Organizers of Games of Chance in the Republic of Srpska calls on the authorities in the city administration to establish a system for the normal functioning of the city as soon as possible.
„Banja Luka is a city with huge tourist potential that can only be used if maximum efforts are made to make it function flawlessly. It is in everyone’s interest that the guests are satisfied, because this will ultimately affect their spending, which will benefit us all“, conclude the Association of Organizers of Games of Chance in the Republic of Srpska.
PR
Source: capital.ba
